Mighty countries have often been ruled by children who were grade-school age, or even younger! Take a look at the cute little faces of monarchy gone wrong.

Mighty countries have often been ruled by children who were grade-school age, or even younger! Take a look at the cute little faces of monarchy gone wrong.

LOUIS XIV, AGE 5

Just a year after Louis became King of France in 1643, the Venetian Ambassador wrote, “He knows that he is King and wants to be treated as such.” At 7, he signed his first decree with his own hand, granting amnesty to defected enemies.

At age 10, when other boys liked to pretend they were kings, Louis would make-believe he was a valet! He ruled for 72 years.

LOUIS XV, AGE 7

The great-grandson of Louis XIV, this Louis liked to pretend he was a cook. Shortly after he became King in 1715, he hid behind a curtain to avoid giving an audience to an ambassador.

Those caring for the young King were so concerned about assassination they kept his food under lock and key – and stored his handkerchiefs in a triple-locked safe, fearing someone would lace them with poison.

KING TUT, AGE 8

The Egyptian ruler assumed the throne in about 1366 B.C. It is unclear on who his parents were, but historians believe his uncle was the ruler Akhenaten. Tutankhamun spent his eleven years as ruler reversing the monotheistic changes his uncle had made to the Egyptian religion.

King Tut died at the young age of nineteen, apparently from gangrene contracted from a broken leg.